The Pendant Renovation
by Jislane35
Summary: If you had the chance to change your fate...would you?


_A/N: __I've always wanted to try out this plot bunny of mine that was inspired by the motto of Disney's Brave and would like to dedicate this one to Rene's return to the fandom!:) Hope you all enjoy this first chapter._

_0000_

_(December 31__st__, 2011)_

Five.

The amount of minutes left until the clock struck twelve and the New Year would begin. Only this time she didn't feel the exhilaration thumping through her chest or kept her eyes on the clock, she wasn't even going to bother joining in on the countdown just to make some stupid wish. What point was there anyway? No matter how many she made each year in the end they never came through.

Not even close.

Would there be anything worth expecting this coming year? What was there to even look forward to anymore? She knew her dreams wouldn't be able to come easily for her regardless of her looks life really wasn't _that_ simple for her. There was competition that came with the requirements of determination, enthusiasm, agility, and confidence in order to be able to succeed in pretty much _anything_ she went after.

And right now Penny had none of the above.

She quickly realized that she had to work hard for her goals in order to earn something in return and yet no matter how hard she _did_ try it was never enough and it wasn't very often that she had much luck with a few of the auditions she _was_ able to gain. One or two of her rehearsed scenes were either shortened or just completely cut off from an episode even after taking five to six takes while at other times she was merely cast as an extra on a ten to fifteen second shot. And occasionally landed on a few commercials for car insurance, hair dye, JCPenny or a famous mascara line although it was better than nothing she still wanted to receive something bigger.

_Better. _

Something that involved more than just beauty a character that wasn't involved in nudity, a strip tease, or playing some dead hooker on the street during a crime scene investigation. For once in her life she wished for at least one casting director to be able to see _some_ sort of potential in her playing a strong and persistent role for a female protagonist. Penny had always dreamed of playing the heroine in a story such as the brave and level-headed queen, the ambitious warrior in battle, never had she wanted to be the enchanted princess. She was tired of pretending to be the damsel in distress during her biggest struggles and for the first time in forever wished to rescue _herself_ from the evil haunting after her. And yet here she was staring out into world just waiting for a miracle to pop into her lap instead of facing her fears and fighting for her goals. But _no_ she decided to stay as a mourning princess and forever dream and pray for the spell to break by her knight in shining armor. And some knight he turned out to be it wasn't any better for the one supposedly 'nice' guy in her life to have such little trust and faith in her. Who expected her to live a more trivial and practical life?

That just wasn't her.

She had broken things off with Leonard two months ago and needless to say she didn't mind the space as much as she thought she would. It was better than having someone pressuring her into moving things forward way too quickly for her liking or having them lower her self-esteem more than she already did with herself as it was. She became irritated over how desperate he was and every argument they engaged in pretty much ended with him constantly asking if she planned on leaving him in that stupid nasal voice of his. As much as the idea of marriage scared the hell out of her the idea of treating it as a joke, a last resort, or a one way ticket to easily becoming rich no longer appealed to her as much as it used to. And thanks to her stupidity and drunken stupors she had already done the first _two_ of those three mistakes but it was something she no longer wished to make again. No she wasn't ready for a big commitment yet but at the same time that didn't mean that she wanted to be pressured into marrying someone either.

It shouldn't have to-no _cannot _be that way for her it had to be completely for love this time. And even that she wasn't something she 100% sure about with Leonard, perhaps she just loved the idea of what he could have been for her. Maybe she just felt special about the fact that she was the kind of woman _worth_ marrying, she knew she could've made the best daughter in law for anyone but it was all a matter of knowing whether or not the one proposing was even worth saying yes to in the first place too. She needed to keep her mind focused on getting her life together not planning an expensive wedding and deciding on the best houses to choose around the neighborhood.

Not when she is nothing but a complete _mess_ with herself it just wouldn't end things well.

It was one rejected proposal after the other with Leonard as well as him depending on her to put him above everything else in her life but she just couldn't give him that, she had far too many other issues of her own to focus on in her life and she was not about to leave it all behind for the sake of keeping someone else's fears intact. Was that a little selfish of her? Maybe. But she has been pleasing people her _entire _life and it was high time she stood up for herself and finally get the chance to fly solo. If he wasn't going to bother on making any risks for her then why should she bother doing anymore for him? It all just made her commitment issues grow even worse than ever before and how was that ever going to benefit her in anything?!

Penny already knew just how unattractive and tiring insecurity could be, from self-experience, and while she used to find it somewhat adorable during the beginning of their relationship it quickly escalated to being emotionally draining. Matter of fact a good amount of everything that she once adored about Leonard had later on changed into pure annoyance as the years went by which then affected her to become more bitter and sarcastic than usual amongst those she knew well. It was no wonder why everyone at work would look at her with concern. She once thought it was because he cared, or at least wanted to believe it was, but really he hated to see her succeed on something that could be big for her and was just as damaged and selfish as she was if not _more_.

Two wrongs just _didn't_ make a right.

Penny needed someone who'd be able to balance her out and Leonard needed someone who'd be more than willing to give him that unconditional love he oh so craved for his whole life. She finally understood what her Nana Diane meant about looks being able to fool people's judgment over others.

_Nana…_

Oh how she missed her so.

How often she wished for her to be by her side and encourage her to keep on going and never look back, to always focus on the present and remember that tomorrow would be a new day.

But she was gone and she had no one else left.

Omaha was completely out of the question it'd just end up being nothing but a suicide mission, most of her old friends had left her behind and never bothered to call back after finding out about her associating herself with the geek squad while the gang just continued on with their usual lives in the course of her sitting back and examining it all as they treated her with indifference. Although at times she could've sworn to have a caught a glimpse or two coming from Sheldon. Penny plainly couldn't help but feel useless around the five scientists including Bernie's engineer slash astronaut of a husband and was entirely fed up on trying to put on a show for them in order to keep things normal enough between everyone.

They had the one thing she so _desperately_ needed and that was _success._

Ever since breaking things off with Leonard dinner nights in 4A became less and less frequent to the point where their knocks no longer came at her door every other evening, it wasn't until last week during a power outage…

_*knock, knock, knock* PENNY!_

_*knock, knock, knock* PENNY!_

_*knock, knock, knock* PENNY!_

_Her head quickly jostled towards the front door, this was a completely unexpected surprise for her. It had been well over a month since hearing the signature knock from her whack-a-doodle of a neighbor and wondered if acting mellow would be the best way to go around him she really didn't wish to make this more awkward than it should be. After blowing out the match for her sixth candle she headed over to the front door to see a jittery physicist holding an empty glass lantern. _

"_Please tell me you didn't use up all of your matches for I seemed to have run out and wasn't aware of it until now."_

_Her shoulders slumped a bit in defeat yet had kept her expression from changing._

_Of course…matches…she shouldn't have been looking forward for it to being anything more than that during this certain dilemma. Penny chuckled lightly and handed him three from the little box in her hand. _

"_Be safe sweetie," she muttered with a wave of her hand before closing the door on him, not even anticipating a 'goodbye' until she felt a slight pressure on the edge and looked down to see Sheldon's two toned shoe in between the threshold._

"_Penny."_

_Surprised (yet again) by the gesture she re-opened the half closed door and raised her eyebrows in question. Penny didn't mind his way of acing nonchalant around her after the split up with Leonard, if anything it actually made things a little comfortable between them but at the same time a proper 'hello' or 'how are you' would have been nice to go along with it. Of course she had to remember that she wasn't dealing with just your average next door neighbor. _

_His hand slid down from the metal door as he regained his posture and licked his lips in anticipation before answering, "Would you mind keeping me company? Leonard is out of town for the week and I don't feel very comfortable being surrounded in silent darkness it makes me quite nauseous."_

_She rolled her eyes at the favor hoping it was because he missed having her around but she needed to quit making such delusions around the best friend of her ex. As if he would ever see her as more than some sort of backup plan whenever Leonard was away, just the thought of it brought her mood down a little and maybe even made her…a little angry._

"_Well why don't you just go ahead and call Amy to do that for you? I'm sure she'd be more than happy to come over and keep you company for the rest of the day."_

_If it was even possible Sheldon's trademark frown grew even deeper, "And you wouldn't?"_

_Penny wasn't expecting that to come out of his mouth she couldn't help but feel a little hesitant at the question and regretted going overboard in her frustration with him._

_She sighed deeply with a slump to her shoulders, "Tha-that's not what I meant I just…never mind," she stepped back to close the door until Sheldon held it open again._

"_No please continue on what you were going to say," he stated with a gritted twang._

_She never knew what to do whenever Sheldon got this way which was rarely ever! He usually expressed his anger through passive aggressiveness and wasn't known for getting angry so easily but she was known for being one of the very few people to bring out such a reaction from him._

_It's not that important Sheldon."_

"_Well should it be?"_

_She stopped in mid-pause of closing her door and reluctantly glanced up into his dark blue eyes for a second, "I'm just a little surprised to see you asking for me instead of your own girlfriend."_

_Sheldon tilted his head to the side with a smirk and shrugged with a shake to the head, "While I do find most of your habits to be mildly irritating at times that doesn't exactly stop me from seeking your presence every now and then. In fact I know I am equally as annoying and while I do enjoy Amy's company I also enjoy yours just as much, you are indeed my friend Penny."_

_She couldn't believe it herself but…she truly did miss his bluntness it made things clearer for her._

_Her lips lifted in a small smile that soon fell quickly when she couldn't help but wonder, "Then why have you never bothered to visit me again? What's stopping you from hanging out with me?"_

_Yep she was just as forward as he was and quickly caught on to__ the tension around his jaw and the slight biting of his lower lip followed by him occasionally glancing down at the floor, "Well you see…everyone has suggested that in order to prevent any possible controversy between ourselves that it would be best to no longer share an alliance with you. Amy recently mentioned her being irritated with you declining her offer on helping you and Leonard reunite with each other and eventually decided to give up on involving herself with anymore of your outings since you refused to take her word of advice. As well as there not being much of anything amidst her holding a pact with you and therefore decided on wanting nothing more to do with you. She has then suggested for me to do the same by keeping my distance from you so as to keep Leonard content."_

_Penny's head tilted back in shock while her brows drew together, "Is that so?...HUH!"_

_She was afraid it would come down to this but deep down she had a feeling that it'd eventually would. Ironic that the girl who was once Cornhusker queen, prom queen, and head cheerleader for five years straight including queen bee in almost every class she attended during junior high would end up getting dissed by the one clique she had spent her whole life bullying as a kid!_

_She looked back up at Sheldon with a tight lipped mock grin, "Well then…better turn your ass around and head back home before someone finds you here with me. And you wouldn't want to get in trouble with her of all people now would you?"_

_Sheldon immediately resumed before she could leave, "Which is why I believe it's best if we take advantage of the time we have left together as of now. Amy is currently at a dermatologist appointment and will also be visiting some old relatives from downtown right after."_

"_So why didn't you join her?"_

"_I had some heavy duty cleaning to do for the day which I just so happened to be in the middle of but has now been delayed due to technical difficulties as you can already tell and also because I was in no good mood to be socializing with strangers for the day."_

_She raised an eyebrow, "You realize that she's not going to let you get away with that right?"_

"_Oh I am more than sure that she'll be bringing that up some time soon so I'll make sure to brace myself for the consequences."_

_Penny sighed with a shake of her head, "I don't how she does it."_

_Sheldon's brows furrowed, "Does what?"_

"_Deals with you."_

_He flicked his shoulders, "Neither do I but I do admire her devotion to me, she is the moth to my flame."_

"_She must have a tolerance for crazy," she giggled._

_But to this Sheldon didn't join in on the joke and sighed in annoyance as he turned on his heel to head back to his place, he was beginning to grow tired of proving his sanity to others it's not as if they ever listened to anything he had to say._

_Penny quickly realized she had gone too far and made haste at grabbing his arm, "Hey hey wait Sheldon look I'm sorry! That wasn't right for me to say I didn't mean to offend you sweetie really. I seriously need to try and respect the fact that you hate being called that."_

_He didn't bother to face her and roughly snatched his arm back to his person._

_Penny's cheeks flushed with humiliation, "I-if it makes you feel any better I'll admit that even I'm…in my own way of course…a little insane myself maybe more than I'm aware of."_

_She saw him straighten his back and turn back to her with a raised brow, "You… insane? You've never been tested before."_

_Penny shrugged, "No but maybe I should start looking for some kind of help. It'd be useful."_

_He huffed with a faint lift of a grin._

_Penny crossed her arms in front of her and broke eye contact with him for a moment, she had forgotten just how intense his stare could be. _

"_You should be lucky to have a woman like Amy in your life so try not to screw it up."_

"_I will do my best not to even though it will be difficult to no longer have your guidance towards these new experiences in my life. But ut Amy has taken it upon herself to suggest on having the both of us learn through each other."_

_She couldn't help but feel a slight rush of joy jolt through her at the compliment, such rare giving's from Sheldon brought a sense of hope in her but sadly she may never be able to hear anymore of them for a long while. _

"_Thanks honey, I wish you the best of luck with Amy."_

_He nodded his head in thanks and waved his palm towards room 4A, "So will you join me?"_

_The best thing about Sheldon was that he was able to forgive others easily and although Penny hated the idea of having their (surprisingly) still on-going friendship become a secret amongst those they knew she also understood how much of an influence the gang had upon Sheldon and for this reason alone didn't wish to make things difficult for the naïve man by putting his relationship with Amy and Leonard on the line. She didn't want to put any pressure on Sheldon by making him choose, that just wasn't her plus she knew he'd miss them if he ever did end up leaving them for her. They were all he had left and yet after seeing him actually put a little bit of an effort into communicating with her again well… hopefully that wasn't the case. _

_She bit her lip in thought and stepped aside from the entrance of her door, "Alright then I guess for now we just keep this between us and learn to make the best of it while we still can. But I think it'd be better if we stay in my place, I have better lighting in here anyway."_

_Sheldon nodded with a tiny grin and entered her place, she supposed that having him depend on her for some things was better than not needing her anything at all. F__or the rest of the day the two neighbors began to randomly create paper mace (which Sheldon excelled flawlessly in) and organize her bookshelf of magazines while telling stories about their adventures in their homelands, how much they adored their own grandparents and were rarely ever accepted by their own fathers. She never knew how that would be something they were capable of relating on. __Until the power was then regenerated and it was time for him to return home leaving Penny to blow out the candles all by her lonesome in the eerie silence once again; she never expected herself to also miss the sound of his voice while giving away a speech on whatever it was he had recently discovered for his thesis at work. _

_It somehow brought life back into the room…_

_0000_

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Streamers, confetti, and balloons were tossed all around as she stood stoic from her place at the bar and continued wiping away the stains on the champagne glasses, all while avoiding the smiles and cheers from her co-workers and customers surrounding the island. Since she had nothing better to do for the rest of the night she volunteered to be one of the few employees to stay over time and help pick up after the place.

0000

Two weeks ago the engine of her car had broken down on her and since then Penny was forced to take the bus wherever she went but today she felt that a walk home was greatly needed in order to pass the time even more. Luckily the streets were heavy with people standing outside of theaters, night clubs, and plazas with a good handful of cars on the road so the night didn't feel as threatening as it should have been.

Hoping that no one would take any notice of her she looked straight ahead while strolling at a slow pace and kept herself from glancing at any displays or cafes from around her. It was a bad time to be window shopping since she was supposed to be saving up for her list of debts that she had been behind on for almost a month and was _not_ about to screw it up again by buying materialistic junk that she was able to afford during any other day…at some point in time of course.

She wished to find a different working position that would not only guarantee a better salary but also a chance to actually enjoy spending time in a temporary thirteen to fourteen hour career that she'd be eager to show up on time to five days a week. But that was a one in a million chance of ever happening to her she remembered the times when she would occasionally beg Leonard or the girls to pay for her meals and gas, granted they did it in a reluctant and irritated manner but still offered on doing it anyway. Sadly such moments no longer existed and she even felt a bit guilty for paying them back extremely late and taking advantage of their money so carelessly especially whenever she would bargain the girls into doing a couple of her homework assignments for her. Penny hated to admit it but deep down she just downright hated how she could barely even take any responsibility for herself, how she needed-_wanted _others to be in charge over her own duties. Which didn't help change their disapproving opinions on her lifestyle of choice and would only make things worse for her. She really hated herself sometimes or rather hated being an adult.

She was no good at it.

And aside from her Nana Diane no one else in their family was exactly the best role model figure for her. As much as she hated to admit it and refused to believe she was totally becoming as pathetic as her dysfunctional family. Something she hoped would never come true yet in the end had let herself be taken in by the influence of such lowly behavior anyway, the one she was most familiar with and coped on throughout her whole life in Omaha. So what was the point of looking for a more fitted job when she had so little to offer? She knew how unorganized, hung up, and sluggish she was as a waitress so there would be a very little chance of anyone ever hiring someone with such poor functioning skills.

_Am I really this worthless?_

It wasn't until passing by a narrow alley way when she heard a crash coming from around a crowd of trash bags and cardboard boxes. She stepped back a few paces and inched herself a little closer to the dim-lighted area, she soon saw a few of the boxes being carelessly tossed around yet couldn't get a clear view on what was causing their movement. Suddenly a dark figure crawled out from inside one of the smaller boxes and hastily jumped on top of a rusty trash bin which jolted Penny from the immense speed of its acrobatic stunt.

A drenched onyx black cat appeared before her very eyes rubbing its tiny paws against its wet ears. Penny felt pity to see it completely soaked by the tiny waterfall that was coming down from above the tall brick building. She looked into her purse and found a good portion of large napkins, taking one out she cautiously approached the adult feline and extended her palm out to it. After it was done grooming itself the cat looked up at the stiff blonde with its wide and scrutinizing jade green gaze gleaming from underneath the street lights. Penny stopped dead in her tracks the second her eyes landed on an oval shaped pendant kept around its neck. She stared at it curiously with narrowed eyes before giving it a smile, it stood still and allowed the blonde to pet the top of its head. She waited a few seconds more before drying the slick fur with her napkin, she was afraid of scaring the poor thing away or worse getting bitten or possibly even scratched by it.

"Aw look at you living around these dirty streets getting nothing but soaked. I'll bet it's hard for you to find food for yourself huh? I know how that feels like too," she cooed in a whisper.

She brought her forefinger to the deep lavender jewel hanging from it's neck and examined the decoration of tiny beads and swirled metal designing from around the circular edges. "What's this you got here? It's mighty pretty but I don't see how this should be considered a collar."

A crackle of blindingly bright lighting shot across the night sky causing a startle through her bones as she looked up and noticed the deep night sky being surrounded by long foggy gray clouds. She looked back down to face the jet black feline and patted the napkin a few more times against it ears, chest, and neck, "I wish I could take you home but knowing me I'd probably forget to refill your bowls, teach you how to potty train yourself or even take you to the vet. I'm not exactly what you would call reliable."

The cat did nothing more than blink at her and reached over to lick her wrist with its tiny pink tongue. Penny smiled sweetly at the affectionate animal and massaged it behind one of its soft ears which earned her a low purr. "I know I hate to see you go too but it's getting late and as much as I hate my life right now I really don't want to get struck dead by a big ass lightning bolt. You better run off and hide underneath something quick before the storm starts to pick up."

She threw away the wet napkin and slowly backed away from the kitty cat as she waved it goodbye and headed back down the street on her way to a night of nothing but solitude in room 4B.

0000

_Bill, bill, bill, ad, magazine, shoe coupons (ugh), bill, grocery coupons (will definitely be needing these), ad, bill…_

It was one after the other as she slowly climbed up the second flight of stairs and the straining of her calves were killing her.

_I am definitely counting this as a workout for the day. _

Finally making it to the fourth floor she could hear the faint sound of 80's karaoke music and laughter coming from across the hall. She looked at the door with a scowl and checked her watch.

_Really? Playing Guitar Hero at 1:35 in the morning? Do they have nothing better to do with their lives? Hope that I'll be able to sleep well for the rest of the night._

She entered her place and dropped her keys into the bowl from beside her door and set down her bag on the coffee table. While taking off her busted up flats she noticed a small white envelope on top of her teal couch, curious of the tiny thing she went over to pick it up and flipped it only to see Sheldon's full title written in neat cursive on the front. She opened it and couldn't help but giggle at the first thing she read:

_10 Amazing Life Lessons You Can Learn From Albert Einstein:_

_1. Follow your curiosity._

_2. Perseverance is priceless._

_3. Focus on the present._

_4. The imagination is powerful._

_5. Make mistakes._

_6. Live in the moment._

_7. Create value._

_8. Don't expect different results._

_9. Knowledge comes from experience._

_10. Learn the rules and then play better._

_P.S. Never be afraid to take risks and attempt the impossible Penelope. Make this year count and remember we're dreamers, I wish you a Happy New Year._

_With dear condolences, Your friend Dr. Sheldon Lee Cooper PhD_

Dreamers…

Had he actually just compared himself to her?! She was surprised to feel a tingle of happiness rising from within her chest over such awareness. Now that she thought about it they _did_ go through great lengths to get out of their homelands while at a young age since there was nothing left for them there and never gave up on the thought of one day becoming a big name around the world. Wanting to prove everyone wrong and show them that they _could_ make it even through life's greatest obstacles. Maybe…they really weren't as different as she believed them to be. She felt a little lighter after reading the short but deeply inspirational letter and held it close to her chest, she went over to her bedroom and grabbed some tape from inside the drawer of her nightstand and taped it to the back of her glass door. She wanted to be able to wake up every morning and be able to see it first thing before preparing herself for the day.

_Thank you Moonpie…I really needed this._

Penny then headed over to the kitchen and grabbed herself a spoon and a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream from her freezer, heading straight to her bathroom right after. She poured two of the remaining bath salts from her unforgettable Christmas gift a few years ago into the running water and stripped off her grease stained uniform, she would have to make a trip to the laundry room first thing tomorrow. She would've liked to wait until Saturday night in order to catch Sheldon but since her hamper was beginning to overflow from half of her closet that seemed pretty unlikely. After the tub was filled enough she stepped into the bubbly warm water and began munching away on her late night dessert.

_Maybe I should start roller blading on the weekends it'd give me something to do and I've been getting a little out of shape anyways._

These had to be one of the few moments where Penny finally felt somewhat at peace with herself but that didn't mean that she still wasn't afraid of letting her own mind run wild with itself after all the events that occurred throughout the day, she had an issue of overthinking things a little more than was necessary. She thought back on Sheldon's (or rather Einstein's) list of life lessons and noticed that she would most likely be able to achieve a good handful of them, most of what was said were things that even her Nana had already mentioned to her as a pre-teen. She was just grateful to know that at least more than one person believed in her…that's all she's ever wanted. But even then there were times when her Nana would mention the fact that while there would be others out there who'd have faith in her if she didn't have any in herself then she would never learn to be happy.

_I'll try my very best for them. _

_For Nana…for Sheldon. _

_But more importantly for myself, I want to make things count this time._

_0000_

After drying herself off and getting dressed in a pair of pink sweats, green socks and a white off the shoulder shirt she went over to her bed, thankful that she no longer heard anymore commotion emerging from across the hall, and stared up at the ceiling till her eyes could take no more and shut closed in slumber.

0000

A few moments later she suddenly heard a tap in her living room but quickly shook it off to be from the rainstorm rising from outside. It wasn't until she heard it a fourth time did she decide on getting up and checking on the irritating sound. Penny switched on the light and looked around the area to see what could've been the cause on the noise but saw nothing moving around. She backpedalled once she heard it again and could hear it coming from outside the doubled windows. She walked over to open one and stuck her head out yet couldn't catch a good glance of anything that could've lead to the noise from around the building despite the storm recently picking up. Penny decided to grab the flashlight from her one of her kitchen drawers in order to get a better view only to jump out of her skin the minute she came back to see the same black cat from a few hours earlier that same night sitting atop of the threshold.

"HOLY CRAP! D-did you seriously just follow me all the way home or what?!" she shrieked while clutching her hand tightly to her chest as the calm feline focused intently on her wide eyed stare. "Jesus Christ I think you were _this_ close to giving me a heart attack there."

Penny went over to where it stood from the edge of her window and soothed the now dry fur on its back, "Then again you cats are smarter than you look huh? Look as happy as I am to see you I already told you that I wouldn't be very trustworthy as your owner so you might as well save yourself the trouble and never bother to come back here."

"And what if I were to give you the benefit of the doubt?" the dark haired pussycat replied in a soothingly deep and masculine voice.

"What THE-"

It was at this moment when she really let out a shriek of horror and fell flat on her ass ignoring the pain and crawling away from the suddenly possessed creature. The speaking cat hopped down from the open window and calmly strutted its way over to Penny.

Penny hastily waved her hand at it, "G-get away from me you you-whatever it is you are!"

He did as she said and sat on his hind legs yet his eyes never wavered away from the startled blonde, "I mean you no harm dearie I can assure you that," he reassured her in a calm tone.

The next words that came out of her mouth were all in stutters, "H-how is that even p-possible? Who are you? _What_ are you?"

"You can certainly think of me as a friend or even so much as a blessing."

"W-what?! What do you want from me?"

He stood back up and jumped onto her counter top, "Well if it's not too much of a bother I would greatly enjoy something to nibble on or anything as simple as a small bowl of milk or cream."

Penny got back up but kept her distance from the talking feline, "Well I don't have any milk at the moment so I guess tuna will have to do for now."

She went to one of her cabinets and brought out a cylinder tuna can and can opener while occasionally looking back at the possessed cat from behind. She placed the smelly odor of chunked fish in a small bowl and slowly brought it over to him.

"I thank you for your generosity," he praised before munching away on his meal.

Penny could only stare wide eyed at the talking tomcat with an open mouth while he nibbled away. She could've _sworn_ she hadn't drunken even so much as a drop of wine or beer throughout the whole day. He paused and took quick notice to her shocked state with a simple glance before continuing on with his fish, "It's not nice to stare love hasn't your mother ever taught you that? And close up that pretty little mouth of yours before you catch something."

Penny blinked out her daze and shut her mouth, "S-sorry it's just not every day that you see animals talking. For all I know I must be dreaming!"

She reached down and pinched her wrist as hard as she could then right after began to lightly slap both of her cheeks until she felt the heat on her skin.

"Oh would you stop? You look utterly ridiculous! This is no dream dearie and I am very much speaking to you," he snapped.

She roughly ran her hands through her hair and began to hyperventilate a bit and clutched the counter top until her knuckles turned white.

The cat's eyes narrowed, "Hmmm perhaps it'd best if you'd make yourself a warm drink and lied down for a while."

"Uh y-yeah, yeah good idea."

0000

After making herself a cup of lemon green tea Penny was cooped up on her couch with a blanket around her shoulders and her talking feline friend (?) on her lap whom was happily purring against her.

"I'm not crazy."

"I never said you were."

"..."

"..."

"Sooo uh where do you come from? What are you? Matter of fact _who_ are you? Are there others out there just like you?"

The black cat turned its neck to face her, "Terence and to answer you're last question it's nothing that I'm aware of as of yet."

Penny nodded, "Oookay well uh...you got a nice name there, pretty damn sophisticated for a cat. You don't sound like you're from around here either."

"You can say that I travel around quite frequently and what might your name be?"

"Penelope Darcy Davis but I prefer everyone to just call me by my nickname Penny, only my Nana would ever refer to me by my full name-uuh," she hesitated with a nervous giggle. "Okay I don't know why I just told you that."

"That's quite alright in fact I would love to learn more about you Penelope. You wouldn't mind if I call you by your full name too would you? It has a classical sound to itself."

She grinned with a shrug, "I wouldn't mind at all. So um…Terence why exactly are you here? What I mean is uh is there anything you want from me?"

Terence got up from her lap and jumped on the hood of her couch, "Not only were you completely considerate of me today but darling you're distress has caught my attention."

He laid his head on his paws, "You are miserable."

She was able to make out the concern in his voice, noticing that it was more of a statement than a question and reached out to pet his neck, "Yes, yes I am. To be honest you seem to be the only one to have noticed that or actually _care_ and you're just a cat!"

"As well as a _very_ good listener."

"I like that about you already."

"Thank you now Penelope what if I were able to give you a once in a lifetime opportunity?"

Penny's brows furrowed in confusion, "Like what winning the lottery?"

"Better."

Her brows raised in interest, "A wish? Do you have powers or something?" She slowly backed away from him, "Or…are you some sort of witch in disguise?"

Terence chuckled, "You humans read way too many fables, there's no such thing as witches dearie but yes I have talents…of sorts. Just think of me as a guardian of your own. So," he started before looking straight into her eyes, "Would you like to make a treaty with me?"

Penny bit her lip in thought, "In exchange for what? I have nothing."

"I'm not asking for much love just your usual shelter, food, warm bed and companionship is all. I really don't need much else."

"And what are you willing to give me in return?"

"Recommence."

"Huh?"

Terence sighed with a shake to the head, "A chance to start over again at a certain point in your life."

"You mean like being able to travel back in time?! " her mouth gaped open in shock.

"It's not as simple as that Penelope."

"What do you mean? And does this have anything to do with that necklace around your neck?"

Terence glanced down at the pendant, "Very observant aren't you?" he chuckled.

Penny blew a raspberry, "It wasn't _that_ hard to miss sweetie."

"As a matter of fact yes it all leads up to this here pendant of mine. You would be able to travel back in a time where things are interchanged from how they are now and although you will stay in the same period there will still be some major changes along the way."

She blinked in surprise, "Good changes or bad?"

"That all depends on you."

"Will I ever get the chance to come back here if things don't work out so well in the other world?"

"Unfortunately no, you need to be able to face the consequences of your alternate history and learn to cope with the changes within it."

Penny remembered a time when Sheldon would speak about parallel universes but she _never_ would've believed that such a ridiculous theory could possibly exist! Could this be the miracle that she was looking for? Would she eventually come to regret it if she took up the offer and what if her other life was twice as bad as the one she was living in now? So many scenarios began jumbling around in her mind and it was starting to make her panic a little. Could she really leave all of her memories behind for the sake of _literally_ starting a brand new chapter in her life (or _other_ life for that matter)? Would anyone even notice she was gone and just how far would that go? Would her running away even matter? Would Sheldon easily be able to find out the answer of her disappearance…and would he even bother to do anything about it?

_God I am SO confused! This is way too crazy!_

Due to being under emotional stress her eyes began to water, "Crap I just-I don't know what to do!"

"Don't fret Penelope there is no rush for this simply use it as something to keep in my mind in case there ever comes a point when you can no longer take the pain from this here world."

"But wouldn't that mean that I'm giving up?"

"Hmm, not necessarily since you'll be permanently transferred to where your other life is currently taking place at and resuming from that."

"Okay well when you put it that way it doesn't sound _as_ bad as I imagine it to be. But I mean even though I've screwed up way too many times in the past with everyone here in the end I was able to learn a lot from those mistakes I've made."

"Then hold on to that knowledge that you've gained from over the years and use it as guidance for a different start."

She bit her lip in thought, "I-is it alright if I wait a while before making such a big decision? I mean who knows maybe things will eventually get better."

"It's fine with me and may I say that I admire your optimism Penelope."

She scoffed, "Believe me I'm _never_ this hopeful about anything but maybe I shouldn't underestimate this life so much."

"Alright then dearie, but if you ever change your mind you know who to go to. All I need for you to remember is that _everything_ comes with a price."

Penny sniffed with irony, "I've learned that now more than ever."

"So does this mean that I am now allowed to permanently remain in your premises? I have enough decency to take my business outside and enough logic to not damage any of your furniture, shoes, or article of clothing. As well as enjoying a good warm bath, I abhor the smell of my own stench."

Penny couldn't help but giggle over the disciplined feline and brought him back to her lap, "It's a deal. I just hope you don't end up abandoning me."

"I believe it's time you deserved some loyalty in your life."

Penny smiled down at him, "You know Terence I think we're going to end up being the best of friends and I may even be getting used to this whole talking cat thing already."

"The feeling's mutual love now how about we head on back to bed, you know how every woman needs her beauty rest."

Penny chuckled and brought the both of them to her bedroom, she decided to let him sleep in her bed for the night.

"Fair warning I tend to move around a lot so please forgive me in case I squish you and just holler at me okay?"

"I have fast reflexes so that shouldn't be much of a problem."

She chuckled but her expression soon turned into confusion.

"Is something the matter?" Terence asked.

"Why me?"

"Because I know how it feels to be helpless and all alone in such a cruel world along with me being able to hear your thoughts."

Penny's jaw dropped, "So you're telepathic too?!"

"That's right."

"Don't know if I should be impressed or worried."

"I only do it out of pure boredom and yours just so happened to be the first to pop into my mind when you passed by the alley tonight."

She brought him closer to her chest and kissed the top of his head, "Well we don't have to feel that way anymore honey."

"Indeed not sweet dreams Penelope, we shall catch up more on each other in the morning," he purred.

0000

Alas things did _not_ become any better for Penny for two days later she had gotten no dice from her agent in the past two months, had to cut down on her electric bill by withdrawing from her cable. Began living off of canned food, ramen noodles, fruits, and frozen meals for a whole month as well as using plastic plates, cups and utensils instead of china so she wouldn't have to deal with dishes every damn day; even thought about going into desperate measures by selling a few pair of her old shoes on Amazon. Then one day had been threatened by her manager for the fifth time on firing her if she didn't start getting her act together by coming in at her designated shift and paying more attention to the customers' orders with a more chipper attitude despite her explaining to him about her reasons for being without a car at the moment. She had also been banned on ever working at the bar again after him noticing a few missing liquor bottles; this was officially her last warning before he decided to permanently kick her out without a second thought this time. At this point there was a very little chance of Penny ever getting a good referral from her boss if she were to ever switch jobs in the foreseeable future. If she even had a future anymore that is…

Alcohol no longer took refuge on brightening up her day the only thing that did now was to see Terence waiting for her around the bushes in front of the restaurant every single afternoon after her shift was over. Ever since meeting him she had been able to let out all of her emotions and not feel rude for talking about her own issues first; she had spent every night telling him about her biggest moments in Omaha, her work in progress of an acting career, tales about everyone in the gang including the ups and downs of every single relationship she could remember the most of and surprisingly enough had done a great job on being a mentor for her on a few topics. It ended up being _way_ better than watching re-runs of _Project Runway_, _The Kardashians_, _Say Yes to the Dress, _or even _Jersey Shore_. Terence was true to his word about never leaving her side as well as being a great listener for Penny, she was founding out more and more about his supernatural abilities as the days went by like being able to speak through each other's minds whenever in close distance of each other while passing through the middle of a large crowd in order to prevent any suspicion between them. It felt _amazing_ to know something that no one else did and was very glad to see that he had confided in her, it had been a _long_ time since she had a friend who was as loyal as Terence. Since _Sheldon_…

00000

Penny looked down at her watch and groaned at the time.

"_Something troubling you dearie?" _

She heard Terence ask from inside her head as she looked over her shoulder to see him jump down from the branch of a semi-short tree and hopped onto the waiting bench that she was currently sitting on from outside of the restaurant doors. The funny thing about Terence was him being very good at snooping and keeping out of site from any visible eyes, she never knew where he would pop out from next. She was slowly getting used to hearing him inside her head too, luckily there was no one around to witness them at the moment so Penny decided to speak aloud to him.

"Hey sweetie I just missed the bus and I'm _really_ not in the mood to walk home today, the only shortcut that I know of is through this edgy part of town that no one has the guts to travel through alone not even myself."

Terence snuggled next to her thigh, "Hmm I believe I have a way of solving this. Follow me dear."

He hopped back down from the wooden bench and padded away to the rear end of the restaurant with Penny following from behind. They then stood in a dimmer lighted portion of the back alley and waited until they heard less commotion from just a few feet away. Terence stood on top of a trash bin and sprang into Penny's arm which caught her a little by surprise, "Just hold on to me and close your eyes."

Penny brows crinkled in confusion, "What are you going to do?"

"You'll see, trust me Penelope everything will be fine."

Ultimately she nodded and held him close to her chest as she shut her eyes and in a matter of seconds felt a strong wind swirling around her person. The currents became more and more aggressive but nonetheless her body was kept completely still and had noticed that her feet were starting to levitate from the ground until a moment later soon dropped back down.

"You may open them now."

Penny peeled her eyelids open and dropped Terence in shock.

"Well thank goodness us cats are able to land on our feet, don't look so surprised Penelope you really should've seen this coming."

Her eyes darted from all around as she looked at her apartment in disbelief.

"I-I'm home…h-how…you can teleport too?! That is SWEET! I'm guessing this is how you get your way around the world too." she squealed in total excitement.

"Now now don't you start jumping to conclusions it would be unwise to use such a power so carelessly, you never know if someone will catch us in the act. It is strictly for emergencies do you understand that Penelope?"

Penny shook out of her stricken daze and nodded a little too eagerly as she jittered with a wide smile.

Terence narrowed his piercing jade eyes at her, "Are you certain you heard me right? Remember such a power is only accessible whenever I allow it to be."

Penny mocked a sigh, "Yes Sir Terence, but still I am _so_ lucky to have met you."

"Sir Terence..I quite enjoy the sound of that."

She pointed a finger at him, "Don't be getting all cocky now, I get enough of that from my friend Sheldon."

"Sounds like a charming fellow and based on the way you've described him I believe him and I will become very good friends."

"I don't doubt that but knowing him he'd probably want perform a hundred experiments on you and I don't want to risk you to being examined in a lab especially with him having a girlfriend that picks brains for a living."

"Fair point. She doesn't sound very welcoming."

"She's not I had a real hard time getting used to her, still do honestly."

She looked over at her trash bin to see that it was close to overloading itself.

"I better get out of this uniform and take out the trash before it scatters everywhere."

0000

Three minutes later Penny came back out of her room dressed in red floral shorts and a beige cropped top while heading to the kitchen to dispose of the fat trash bag and replacing it with a new one.

She went to her front door and opened it but turned her head towards Terence, "Hey you want some chili beef soup for tonight?"

Another great thing about Terence was him not being too picky of an eater in fact he enjoyed many human meals and wasn't all that keen on eating Kitty Chow, apparently it was too bitter for his taste.

_What a strange cat._

He hopped on the very top of her teal couch and sat down on his stomach with his head facing the opposite direction.

"Yes please and Penelope do try to keep your eye on the pot next time I am not interested in eating burnt stew again."

She rolled her eyes with a quick giggle, "Sorry honey sometimes I just forget little things like that."

Her smile quickly fell from her lips when she turned her head back around to soon be faced in front of the entire gang who were all exiting out of 4A at the moment. Leonard was up front with furrowed brows and a bit of a scowl edged on his face. Penny stood motionless in front of them due to this being the only time that she'd been able to see everyone at once. She noticed that they all had a look of disapproval sans Sheldon who was staring blankly at the ground instead and clearly in no interest on making a scene.

Leonard soon let out a sarcastic chuckle before speaking, "Wow. It really is all about sex with you. And it also looks as if you had absolutely _no _trouble on getting over me… after everything that we've been through," he added with a shake of his head and narrowed eyes. "Try to live with that," he nodded.

And with that him and the rest of his crew were off down the stairs, rolling their eyes or scoffing at her as they did so. Only Sheldon took slow steps behind them and looked back to give Penny a quick wave with a strained closed lip smile.

"Sheldon pay no attention to her and get the hell down here!" Amy yelled from down the stairway which earned a slight jump from the physicist as he looked back and forth between Penny and the stairway, he glanced back at her again but before he could utter anything…

"Sheldon! Down here now!"

He instantly scurried off without saying goodbye.

Penny bit her lip as her eyes immediately glistened with unshed tears and rushed back inside, laying the trash bag against the wall and heading straight to her purple bed. Landing on her stomach with her arms crossed as they covered her whole face. She had never felt more embarrassed than she did just now.

00000

"Oh dear."

Terence witnessed everything from his place on the arm of the couch and quickly ran to Penny's room only to quickly hear the sound of sobbing. He still couldn't pinpoint as to why she became friends with such discriminating fools after hearing a few stories over how poorly they had treated her over the years due to her average intelligence and lack of a doctorate. He hopped onto the bed and crawled next to Penny's head, leaning down to lick across the only visible part of her forehead, "It looks as if he has already predicted of you to be engaged with a different lover immediately after hearing the sound of my voice, I will learn to be more cautious of this next time."

Penny made no movement from where she lay.

"Oh come now love, is it really worth shedding tears over a man who had once claimed to have loved you yet has made you feel less than just that? For if he truly harbored any real love for you he would've given you his blessing and have been proud to see you moving on with someone he knew would make you a happier woman instead of making you feel guilty for being happy with someone who isn't him. But he appears to be in denial over such truth and him instantly assuming you to be sleeping with another man simply goes to show how degrading he thinks of you. We both know he's only doing this in order for you to feel pitiful enough to take him into your bed again. _Don't_ let him win this time, you _can_ be stronger than this."

Finally the blonde lifted her head and wiped at her now red nose, "You're right i-it's just…that in a way he's kind of right."

"About what?"

"Me being selfish I didn't give him what he needed the most from me, hell I even wrote up a bug list on a few of his traits that I wanted him to get rid of. I wasn't good enough for him and maybe I'm just as bad as Pr-"

"Enough! I cannot bear to see you beat yourself up over someone who was never the right person for you to begin with. There is a major difference between wants and needs and if I may recall from everything that you've shared with me from only a few days prior it happened to be the _both_ of you that kept a list of changes for each other. And don't you even think about comparing yourself to anyone especially with that…_woman_. You are nothing like her and I trust that you never will be right?"

Penny nodded, "Of course I wouldn't not after what happened between me and Kurt, I'd be no better than him or Priya if I were to ever be unfaithful to someone I actually care for. I'd never forgive myself for that which is why I try my best to not end up treating others as the shallow bitch I used to be and believe me I now feel pretty damn ashamed of who I was in the past. Maybe that's why I always took Leonard back…to feel less guilty about the person I once was. During the beginning of our relationship he made me feel special."

"Special of what?" Terence asked as he climbed on top of her belly and sat on it.

"About…well…being beautiful I guess."

"And where did all that lead up to?"

Penny closed her eyes in grief she knew the exact answer to that one and frankly she wasn't very proud of it now.

"You know what I'm finally starting to realize that he really wasn't all that different from every other jock and meat head I've dated, yeah we didn't have a lot in common but that never really bothered me what did though was that despite my looks and skills in bed there weren't many qualities about me that he admired. He once admitted that the only reason he wanted to ask me out during the time we met was to get a chance to bang me. Maybe our relationship was nothing but a waste of time and a total lie. He always had a blast on making me jealous and chewing me out but only sweetened up to me just so I can get him in my pants and he _knew_ sex was my kryptonite. But I was always too horny, drunk, or lonely to notice any of that he was nothing but a safety net for me. And maybe love was never enough for Leonard but it could have been for me….perhaps I've never really loved him all that much and in the end it was really my fault."

"Penelope-"

"No Terence it was. I was the one who was drunk out of my mind when I first kissed him and all because he thought I was 'perfect', from that moment on I just continued to lead him on like he did with me."

"Then why didn't you keep him at arm's length?"

"Well because I had nothing better to lose and I felt kind of sorry for him and decided to give it a shot because he seemed different and thought I was the his 'dream girl'. Never been more wrong in my life because that all changed soon enough. I was never perfect and yet he kept feeding me that lie until I was completely wrapped around his finger. From then on it's been nothing but him blaming me for this and that. I only kept him around in order to feel less alone and perhaps even worthy for having a scientist as a boyfriend for the first time ever but despite all that I was _still_ miserable…over time he just made me feel like utter shit for not living up to his standards. He said he loved me for who I was yet never had a problem on pointing out how much of a mess I was, pretending as if _I_ was the one to blame for everything that went wrong between us. Guess he wanted to feel like the bigger man for once and make it seem as I had more issues than he ever did and there was absolutely no excuse for my mistakes. He knew how heavy of a drinker I was yet never bothered to do anything about it."

"Neither did you."

"Because it made the pain go away Terence even if was only temporary. Sure I went to school _for_ him so he wouldn't feel embarrassed in front of his co-workers but he always insisted on doing the work for me instead of being proud that I at least _tried_ the best I could, eventually I had to drop out because of how tight I became on money but he didn't know at the time and to be honest I didn't regret it. That's another thing, he wasn't comfortable with me being just a simple waitress yet at the same time never tried to help me look for something better. Never failed to make me feel like some dumb blonde monkey and even whenever he _would_ help me out it was always half-assed. Didn't believe I was capable of learning on my own," she growled.

"What an utterly hypocritical man he only pursued you for pleasure's sake only yet eventually complained how that was all you ever gave him? This coming from the man whom you said begged for you to wear the most skimpiest outfit you owned in order to use you as a prop for a charity event? Have I missed something here?" he asked rhetorically.

Penny snorted.

"I blame myself for that one, I allowed myself to do that even though I had more than enough right not to and also for the time when I was more interested on screwing in his lab instead of getting to know more about his career. But I'll never forgive him for _tricking_ me into giving him constant sex just because of how horrible his childhood was. He isn't the only person who's suffered as a kid and frankly there are others out there who've experienced far worse than he has but instead he decided to use it against me in order to get his way in things, he's loves being in charge because it's something Sheldon rarely ever gave him the opportunity to do. "

Terence shook his head, "That man is a lost cause."

"You don't know the half of it, he held a grudge over me not telling him 'I love you' after he said it to me for the first time after sex during a pretty early stage of our relationship, his first time proposing to me was immediately after you guessed it _sex_ once I took him back after our second break up and then called me a bitch when he proposed a second time in front of a whole damn restaurant thinking that I wanted to compete with an ex-friend of mine who just so happened to get engaged a table away from us. He _never _bothered to show any regards with the fact that I just wasn't ready yet."

"Always placed his own feelings before your own."

"Yep I even stopped seeing some of my old friends just to stop him from whining about never spending enough time with him even though we spent more than enough time in the bedroom as it was. Did I ever mention how bad the sex was? Pretty good at foreplay but whenever it came to the real thing? Well it could've been a hell of a lot better. I guess he was afraid that if I ever made it to the big screen then he'd be the last thing on my mind or cheat on him with some hot actor. Even though I _always_ encouraged him to go on his big trips that took place over the other side of the frigging planet I never once complained about him being away for too long or believed he'd do anything stupid behind my back. I couldn't believe that he would think that I'd ever do such a thing to him, Leonard never really seemed to trust me especially if I were ever around other men who were the total opposite of what he was. I always had to reassure him that I had eyes only for him and even that didn't seem to convince him much of anything. Over time our relationship became boring and although he wasn't the first man I ever loved he was the first one I ever spoke that word aloud to but that just so happened to be pressured out of me."

Terence licked at his paw before speaking again, "I am obviously more intelligent than your everyday cat and have been examining human interactions for a very long time now and based on what I've learned you should know better than to be in a relationship with a man who is just as doubtful as you are, specifically the ones who have a habit of saying they love a woman way too early it brings nothing but trouble for the both of you. Sex doesn't equal love Penelope and sometimes saying those three little words isn't enough, they need to combine with practical action."

"Yeah I've learned that the hard way, he did the same thing with Priya and look at where they eventually ended up. I just hated how he didn't believe I'd ever be able to make it on my own. That was the same attitude my dad gave to me, still does, and I've had just about _enough_ of it. Sure I wasn't making anything big as an actress at the time but that didn't mean I wanted to give up so easily either and I'm certainly _not_ about to waste my dreams by replacing them for someone else's future. I don't care how horrible that makes me sound anymore…I was fed up with having him rely on me for his own happiness."

"A very selfish thing for him to do, perhaps this has taught you to form a friendship with someone new in order to learn more about who they are and know whether or not it'd be safe to trust them before entering a romantic or physical relation with them."

Penny sighed with a gruff, "I know I know I _really_ need to start working on that now or just take a break from relationships altogether."

"Penny why do continue to put yourself in such misery by pairing yourself up with these fools you call men?"

The blonde shrugged.

"Misery loves company and all my life it was always them who had made an effort on coming after me so that made me think that I didn't have to bother on making an impression for any of them because I already had the looks to get anybody I wanted which made it a lot easier for me. And the fact that I wasn't the only one that enjoyed sex a little too much but I've realized that if I ever want to keep someone special in my life it should be more than just that. The thing is that my father was never proud of what I turned out to be and really I don't blame him that much for it but until the day he met Leonard he finally became impressed with me about _something_ and I held onto him because of that. I decided to test him one day and told him that I was planning on quitting my job as a waitress and dropping out of school in order to make time for some acting classes. And _man_ it wasn't until that day when I finally got to see Leonard's true colors and boy did they _show_. We basically just brought out the worst in each other and in the end I'm really just better off alone. Of all the people I knew it was Sheldon who thought it was a good idea for me to do that for myself some day."

"I would take his advice on that, he seems to know what he's talking about. Overall it's good to hear that you've learned from your mistakes just don't lose faith on there being a good man out there for you because there is. You simply need one that is as strong headed as you are, one who'd be able to support you more often. Hold on to the ones that never want to see you change and stay away from the ones who are only good at making you cry."

Penny sighed and rolled onto her back, "You're right, all I know is that I no longer want to lose myself in a relationship ever again. I need to start setting up some boundaries and focus on myself first for once before ever getting together with someone new, if I not I'll never be happy and it'll be like running in circles and getting nowhere all over again. It's about time I stop creating an ongoing pattern and look for a guy who sees past my appearance."

"No more puppy dog eyes getting in the way of what's good for you?"

"_Especially_ no more puppy dog eyes. I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for such a lame trick."

"Well that is exactly what men like Leonard do. So try to stop living up to people's expectations," Terence added.

Penny smiled at him, "So long as I love myself their opinions shouldn't matter, they should just learn to take me seriously by accepting me for all that I am, right?"

"That's exactly it love you're finally starting to respect yourself. Doesn't it feel grand?"

Penny lifted her hand rubbed his neck, "It really does and it's all thanks to you sweetie."

"It's been inside of you all along Penelope, you simply just needed someone who'd be able to push it out of you."

"You're a pretty wise cat Terence."

Terence nuzzled against her palm, "Never received a compliment like that in my life before so thank you dear. Although you weren't entirely innocent towards your relation with Leonard that does not mean that I wish for you to continue believing that it was solely your fault for your separation either."

She lifted her upper body from the bed and wiped away the dry tears from her cheeks, leaning down to plant a kiss on Terence's head.

"It's a relief for someone to finally reassure me of that speaking of which I really need to start throwing out my liquor soon, it's always been nothing but a bad influence on me after all these years. I just didn't care enough to do anything about it then but now things are slowly starting to change."

"That and you should really go back out there and take out the trash before it starts to stink up the place, I'm certain that the sheep's and their herder have gone by now."

Penny giggled at the joke, "Yeah wherever Leonard goes the gang goes too."

_And wherever Amy goes Sheldon follows but that really shouldn't be too much of a surprise…_

She thought in defeat but quickly plastered on a strained smile before Terence could have a chance to interject on the thought.

"Well better get started on that soup!"

Little did she know that he had already caught on to the fake expression on the Nebraskan's pretty face and had a feeling that there were a few other things left about her old group of 'friends' that Penny had yet to reconcile from.


End file.
